RipGuide
What is the right TikTok video size, length and file size?
Updated
In short: export a 9:16 MP4, 1080 x 1920, H.264, at 30 or 60 fps. TikTok's developer docs accept MP4, WebM and MOV, 23 to 60 fps, 360 to 4096 pixels on each side and up to 4 GB (TikTok for Developers, read 18 October 2026). In the app, TikTok's support page says you can record up to 10 minutes and upload up to 60 minutes. TikTok publishes no aspect ratio for organic videos, no in-app file size and no in-app caption limit.
TikTok video specs, from TikTok's own pages
Every row below comes from a TikTok support or developer page, read on 18 October 2026. Where TikTok says nothing, the table says so.
| Spec | What TikTok states | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Length, in the app | Recorded in the app: up to 10 minutes. Uploaded from your device: up to 60 minutes. Picking a sound first sets the length. | TikTok support |
| Length, through the API | Up to 10 minutes. The real cap is the creator's own limit: 3, 5 or 10 minutes, and it differs per account. | Media transfer guide, creator info |
| File format | MP4 (recommended), WebM, MOV. | Media transfer guide |
| Video codec | H.264 (recommended), H.265, VP8, VP9. | Media transfer guide |
| Frame rate | 23 to 60 fps. | Media transfer guide |
| Resolution | 360 to 4096 pixels on each side (height and width). | Media transfer guide |
| Aspect ratio, organic | Not stated. TikTok's ad specs recommend 9:16 with at least 540 x 960, but that page is about ads. | TikTok Ads help |
| File size | Up to 4 GB through the API. TikTok states no figure for uploads in the app. | Media transfer guide |
| Caption | 2,200 UTF-16 runes through the API. In the app: not stated. | Direct Post reference |
| Hashtag limit | Not stated. | Direct Post reference |
| Scheduling, in the app | At least 15 minutes and at most 10 days ahead per TikTok support; a newer Creator Academy page (updated 18 August 2026) says up to 30 days in TikTok Studio on the web. Trust the date picker in your account. | TikTok support |
| Posts per day, API | "Typically around 15 posts per day" per creator account, shared by every app that posts for that account. It varies. | Content sharing guidelines |
Two sets of numbers: the app and the API
TikTok keeps two sets of rules. The support pages describe what you do by hand in the app. The developer docs describe what a tool does when it posts for you, and that is where the file format, frame rate, pixel range and 4 GB limit are written down. If you upload by hand and hit a limit the docs don't mention, the support page is the one that counts.
Three details matter for schedulers. First, TikTok's Direct Post endpoint has no field for a publish time, so a scheduler holds your video and sends it when the time comes. Second, each creator has their own maximum length (3, 5 or 10 minutes), so a clip that posts fine from one account can be refused on another. Third, an app that TikTok hasn't audited can only post private (SELF_ONLY) videos, for at most 5 users in 24 hours (TikTok for Developers, read 18 October 2026).
What TikTok does not publish
Search for these and the top results are blog posts with confident numbers. We found none of them on a TikTok page, so we don't repeat them:
- An organic aspect ratio. 9:16 is TikTok's own recommendation for ads, and it is the shape of the phone screen, so it is the safe choice. Nothing says other shapes are refused.
- An in-app caption limit or hashtag limit. Some guides quote 4,000 characters. TikTok's developer docs say 2,200 for posts made through the API, and we found no page that gives a number for the app.
- A bitrate. TikTok doesn't say how much data per second it wants, or how it re-encodes your upload. See why a TikTok looks blurry after uploading for what to do about that.
- Safe zones in pixels. The pages we read give no pixel numbers for where the buttons and caption cover the picture.
The export that works
- Make the video 9:16. Set the project or export shape to vertical, 1080 x 1920. That sits inside TikTok's 360 to 4096 pixel range and matches the phone screen.
- Export an MP4 with H.264 video. TikTok lists both as its recommended choices. Use AAC for the audio: TikTok doesn't name an audio codec, but AAC works on every other network in our video specs cheat sheet.
- Pick 30 or 60 fps. Both are inside TikTok's 23 to 60 range. Keep the frame rate you recorded at instead of converting.
- Stay under your account's length. Check the length you can post. A clip made for TikTok is usually well inside it; see how long a clip should be.
- Keep captions off the button area. Leave the right edge, the bottom strip and the top bar clear. TikTok puts its buttons, caption text and search bar over the video, and it publishes no pixel numbers, so preview on a phone before you post.
How to do it in RipClip
If the video you start from is a stream or a long recording, RipClip cuts it into vertical 9:16 clips framed on the speaker and captioned word by word. Clip length "Auto" is 20 to 45 seconds, or you pick, which keeps clips far under TikTok's limits. In the editor you can trim, restyle the captions and move them clear of the buttons. Export is up to 4K at 60 fps (4K on Pro and Studio, 1080p on Free and Creator). For TikTok, 1080p is the size to aim for. Free exports carry a small RipClip watermark.
Posting switches on platform by platform as each platform approves RipClip; until then, download your clips and post them yourself. RipClip is a browser app with no phone app yet, and you can start from a Twitch or Kick link (Twitch VOD to TikTok, Kick stream to TikTok). If you only need one quick clip from a phone, TikTok's own editor is the faster route.
Other networks: YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, or all of them on one page.